Mello, Gamification
Adopted gamification to increase user engagement within the application.
Oct 1, 2020
Company
Mello
Company
Mello
Role
Freelancer UX/UI Designer
Role
Freelancer UX/UI Designer
Service
UX Design
Service
UX Design
Duration
2 weeks
Duration
2 weeks
Business Context
Business Context
The Mello app connects parents nearby, helping them chat, meet, and support each other; essentially, finding their “village.”
Mello is a community app designed for parents to build local support networks. The Berlin-based startup initially started as a babysitting swap platform, but it quickly expanded its vision upon realizing that parents needed broader social connection beyond childcare . In 2020, Mello launched a newly designed app with the purpose of “helping families find their village,” both online and offline . I joined the Mello team as a UX designer in a collaboration to tackle an important goal: boost user engagement through gamification . At the time, Mello’s business objective was to increase daily activity in the app’s newsfeed and encourage more real-life meetups organized via the platform .
The Mello app connects parents nearby, helping them chat, meet, and support each other; essentially, finding their “village.”
Mello is a community app designed for parents to build local support networks. The Berlin-based startup initially started as a babysitting swap platform, but it quickly expanded its vision upon realizing that parents needed broader social connection beyond childcare . In 2020, Mello launched a newly designed app with the purpose of “helping families find their village,” both online and offline . I joined the Mello team as a UX designer in a collaboration to tackle an important goal: boost user engagement through gamification . At the time, Mello’s business objective was to increase daily activity in the app’s newsfeed and encourage more real-life meetups organized via the platform .
Problem
Problem
Many new parents feel isolated: Mello’s mission is to ensure no parent has to “raise a child alone,” echoing the idea that it takes a village.
For first-time parents, life can become isolating as routines and friendships change . Mello was created to solve this by connecting like-minded parents. However, the app faced a challenge: users were mostly passive; they would scroll and respond, but few were creating posts or initiating playdates. In user interviews, we heard sentiments like: “I wasn’t looking for best friends… but I was looking for casual play dates and advice” . Parents wanted connection and reassurance, yet on the platform they hesitated to make the first move. The design problem we identified was twofold: (1) Lower the barrier for parents to initiate interactions, and (2) motivate them to host events (not just join others’ invites).
Many new parents feel isolated: Mello’s mission is to ensure no parent has to “raise a child alone,” echoing the idea that it takes a village.
For first-time parents, life can become isolating as routines and friendships change . Mello was created to solve this by connecting like-minded parents. However, the app faced a challenge: users were mostly passive; they would scroll and respond, but few were creating posts or initiating playdates. In user interviews, we heard sentiments like: “I wasn’t looking for best friends… but I was looking for casual play dates and advice” . Parents wanted connection and reassurance, yet on the platform they hesitated to make the first move. The design problem we identified was twofold: (1) Lower the barrier for parents to initiate interactions, and (2) motivate them to host events (not just join others’ invites).
Impact
Impact
We dove into research to understand why users weren’t engaging more. Our findings included:
Relevance drives interaction: Parents engage when content is relevant to their situation (same-age kids, similar interests) . Generic posts see low activity.
Someone needs to start: Users are more comfortable responding than initiating.
Profile completeness matters: Users with a profile photo and filled bio were more likely to get responses and connect with others, indicating trust and authenticity are factors.
Ambassadors vs Regular Users: At the time, community ambassadors (power users) seeded the content. They would post questions or playdate invites and get responses, whereas an average user rarely started a post.
Preference for attending: When given options, most people opted to attend others’ playdates rather than host their own , suggesting a natural inclination to avoid organizing (likely due to effort or fear of no one showing up).
Motivational profiles: We also surveyed users’ attitudes towards game-like rewards and identified a dominant Explorer mindset among Mello parents (followed by Socializers) . This implies they enjoy discovering new things and social connections more than competition or status.
We dove into research to understand why users weren’t engaging more. Our findings included:
Relevance drives interaction: Parents engage when content is relevant to their situation (same-age kids, similar interests) . Generic posts see low activity.
Someone needs to start: Users are more comfortable responding than initiating.
Profile completeness matters: Users with a profile photo and filled bio were more likely to get responses and connect with others, indicating trust and authenticity are factors.
Ambassadors vs Regular Users: At the time, community ambassadors (power users) seeded the content. They would post questions or playdate invites and get responses, whereas an average user rarely started a post.
Preference for attending: When given options, most people opted to attend others’ playdates rather than host their own , suggesting a natural inclination to avoid organizing (likely due to effort or fear of no one showing up).
Motivational profiles: We also surveyed users’ attitudes towards game-like rewards and identified a dominant Explorer mindset among Mello parents (followed by Socializers) . This implies they enjoy discovering new things and social connections more than competition or status.
Approach & Rationale
Approach & Rationale
Given the research findings, we formulated a design approach centered on gamification to gently push users toward active participation. We followed a structured UX process:
Ideation (Gamification Concepts): We brainstormed ways to encourage interaction, drawing inspiration from game design. We referenced Bartle’s player types (Achiever, Explorer, Socializer, Killer) to ensure our ideas would appeal to Mello’s audience. Given most users are Explorers, we prioritized concepts that involve discovery and surprise (e.g., unlocking something new), and since they are also Socializers, we emphasized community recognition over competition.
Concept Development: One idea stood out, creating a tier or special area in the app that users could unlock by being active. We hypothesized this would tap into Explorers’ love for uncovering new experiences and give hesitant users a tangible incentive to contribute. We also listed out game-like rewards (points, levels, badges) and evaluated them against our insights: the right mechanism should reward making the first move and foster peer-to-peer support (aligning with Mello’s ethos).
Rationale: Throughout ideation, we weighed each feature against the question “Will this make users more likely to create a post or playdate?” If an idea felt fun but didn’t directly address the core behavior change, we set it aside. We also kept the solution simple to avoid overwhelming busy parents. Our rationale was to embed motivation into existing user flows rather than creating an entirely separate gamified mini-game. This way, the solution would integrate naturally and be more likely to succeed.
Given the research findings, we formulated a design approach centered on gamification to gently push users toward active participation. We followed a structured UX process:
Ideation (Gamification Concepts): We brainstormed ways to encourage interaction, drawing inspiration from game design. We referenced Bartle’s player types (Achiever, Explorer, Socializer, Killer) to ensure our ideas would appeal to Mello’s audience. Given most users are Explorers, we prioritized concepts that involve discovery and surprise (e.g., unlocking something new), and since they are also Socializers, we emphasized community recognition over competition.
Concept Development: One idea stood out, creating a tier or special area in the app that users could unlock by being active. We hypothesized this would tap into Explorers’ love for uncovering new experiences and give hesitant users a tangible incentive to contribute. We also listed out game-like rewards (points, levels, badges) and evaluated them against our insights: the right mechanism should reward making the first move and foster peer-to-peer support (aligning with Mello’s ethos).
Rationale: Throughout ideation, we weighed each feature against the question “Will this make users more likely to create a post or playdate?” If an idea felt fun but didn’t directly address the core behavior change, we set it aside. We also kept the solution simple to avoid overwhelming busy parents. Our rationale was to embed motivation into existing user flows rather than creating an entirely separate gamified mini-game. This way, the solution would integrate naturally and be more likely to succeed.
Execution
Execution
Our final design centered on a new feature called “The Tribe” an exclusive community space within Mello that parents unlock by being active participants.
• Mellos Points & Currency: We introduced Mellos, a virtual currency earned through engagement. Creating a post gives 10 Mellos, commenting 5, hosting a playdate 20. These values were tuned to reward desired behavior, especially hosting events. A counter at the top of the feed shows the user’s total Mellos and progress toward the next goal.
• Unlocking The Tribe: Once users earn enough Mellos in a month, they gain access to The Tribe; a members-only feed with spontaneous meetups, special discussions, and occasional partner perks. It’s designed as a VIP space for supportive parents, motivating consistent participation. If a user’s Mellos drop below the threshold, access pauses until they engage again.
• UI Integration: We made small but effective UI updates. Posts now show whether they’re regular or Tribe-only via a small badge. A Mellos balance indicator and onboarding tooltip explain how to earn points. Using existing design components minimized refactoring while keeping everything visually native to Mello. Points and Tribe icons use Mello’s friendly green and yellow palette for brand consistency.
• Prototype & Demo: I built an interactive Figma prototype showing the full flow, and included a demo feed with sample content. The prototype and a short video walkthrough were shared with the team and test users for feedback.
Our final design centered on a new feature called “The Tribe” an exclusive community space within Mello that parents unlock by being active participants.
• Mellos Points & Currency: We introduced Mellos, a virtual currency earned through engagement. Creating a post gives 10 Mellos, commenting 5, hosting a playdate 20. These values were tuned to reward desired behavior, especially hosting events. A counter at the top of the feed shows the user’s total Mellos and progress toward the next goal.
• Unlocking The Tribe: Once users earn enough Mellos in a month, they gain access to The Tribe; a members-only feed with spontaneous meetups, special discussions, and occasional partner perks. It’s designed as a VIP space for supportive parents, motivating consistent participation. If a user’s Mellos drop below the threshold, access pauses until they engage again.
• UI Integration: We made small but effective UI updates. Posts now show whether they’re regular or Tribe-only via a small badge. A Mellos balance indicator and onboarding tooltip explain how to earn points. Using existing design components minimized refactoring while keeping everything visually native to Mello. Points and Tribe icons use Mello’s friendly green and yellow palette for brand consistency.
• Prototype & Demo: I built an interactive Figma prototype showing the full flow, and included a demo feed with sample content. The prototype and a short video walkthrough were shared with the team and test users for feedback.
Outcomes
Outcomes
Our solution was validated through stakeholder reviews and informal testing with real parents. The Tribe concept, proved both understandable and motivating. Parents said that “earning access” to something special would inspire them to post more often. This confirmed that our research-driven direction resonated emotionally and functionally.
The Mello team was fully on board. They appreciated that the idea respected the app’s nurturing spirit without feeling like “gamification for gamification’s sake.” One stakeholder summed it up perfectly: “This gives users a fun reason to engage daily, without changing what they come to Mello for.”
To prepare for rollout, we defined a phased launch plan, starting with the simplest entry point: allowing users to join and create playdates (as shown in the mockup). This early step would help test engagement mechanics before expanding to full Tribe functionality.
Our solution was validated through stakeholder reviews and informal testing with real parents. The Tribe concept, proved both understandable and motivating. Parents said that “earning access” to something special would inspire them to post more often. This confirmed that our research-driven direction resonated emotionally and functionally.
The Mello team was fully on board. They appreciated that the idea respected the app’s nurturing spirit without feeling like “gamification for gamification’s sake.” One stakeholder summed it up perfectly: “This gives users a fun reason to engage daily, without changing what they come to Mello for.”
To prepare for rollout, we defined a phased launch plan, starting with the simplest entry point: allowing users to join and create playdates (as shown in the mockup). This early step would help test engagement mechanics before expanding to full Tribe functionality.
Learnings
Learnings
I learned that successful gamification hinges on deeply understanding user motivations. By identifying that Mello’s users are primarily Explorers and Socializers, we tailored our solution (The Tribe and Mellos points) to reward exploration and foster social connection. This project reinforced that gamification isn’t a plug-and-play solution; it must be customized to the audience to truly work.
I learned that successful gamification hinges on deeply understanding user motivations. By identifying that Mello’s users are primarily Explorers and Socializers, we tailored our solution (The Tribe and Mellos points) to reward exploration and foster social connection. This project reinforced that gamification isn’t a plug-and-play solution; it must be customized to the audience to truly work.